(Dr. Lupus was Imperial Ethnographer for Potentate Savirien-Chorak from 2E 418 to 431) The Imperial City. I used to love it here. When I was young my native town of Skingrad seemed hopelessly provincial to me, and I looked forward all year long to going along with mother on her annual trip to the Heartland. For me, the capital was the epitome of learning, of culture, of everything I held dear. The Imperial City, except for the walls and the Tower, which are Ayleid, is … Nibenese. Refined. Decorative. Subtle. Nuanced. Decadent. Corrupt. Like its people. And the people it attracts. I was too late.